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As Mass Extinction Looms, Conservation Genomics Fights Back

Mar. 1, 2018

By Meredith Salisbury

Illustration by Julia Kuhl for Techonomy Magazine

When it comes to biodiversity, humans have been about as good for life on Earth as a giant asteroid slamming into it. Many leading scientists contend that we are in the midst of a mass extinction, not dissimilar to the one that wiped out dinosaurs and countless other species 66 million years ago—except that this time it’s being caused by human activity. Species are now going extinct at rates 100 to 1,000 times faster than usual.

Read the full story from Techonomy magazine, which includes information about the role conservation genomics is playing in the restoration of the American chestnut.

The return of the American chestnut to its former niche in the Appalachian hardwood forest ecosystem is a major restoration project that requires a multi-faceted effort involving members and volunteers, research, sustained funding, and most importantly, a sense of the past and hope for the future. Get Involved!